# Disfigurement in leprosy(Hansen's disease) accidentally self inflicted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148 "2013-09-18T16:12:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148/1 "2013-09-18T16:12:57Z")
In reading about leprosy AKA HD I see that the bacteria seems to cause nerve damage, does this mean the disfigurement is accidentally self inflicted because pain can’t be felt?(imagine cooking in a kitchen if you couldn’t feel pain!). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148/2 "2013-09-18T16:17:18Z")
Yes, just like many people who lose feet due to diabetic neuropathy do so because they didn’t know they were injured until it was too late. There’s a lot of denial involved too. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148/3 "2013-09-18T17:41:30Z")
Tissue loss is not just caused by denervation of the flesh from disease, and subsequent neglect due to loss of feeling. Leprosy alone causes a lot of local and systemic inflammation, which by itself can damage skin, muscles, tendons, eyes, and appendages. Immune responses are often inappropriate and excessive, causing local destruction. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148/4 "2013-09-18T18:48:49Z")
Paraplegics and quadraplegics usually have loss of sensation below a given point in the body (in my case sensation more or less fades out below my waist). I’m not the most careful person in the world (yes, I know I should be very careful given my loss of sensation, but I’m not) and have had many scrapes and burns that I haven’t felt. Nonetheless my legs and feet look more or less normal. So, using myself as a cite, it seems to me (as QtM said) that there is much more than just loss of sensation causing what I see in pictures of leprosy patients. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148/5 "2013-09-18T19:12:34Z")
Iirc, Father Damien, who spent most of his life caring for people with leprosy and sorta expected that he would eventually catch it, knew this was the case after he stepped in boiling water and didn’t feel pain. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disfigurement-in-leprosy-hansens-disease-accidentally-self-inflicted/669148/6 "2013-09-18T19:22:06Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Iirc, Father Damien, who spent most of his life caring for people with leprosy and **sorta expected that he would eventually catch it** , knew this was the case after he stepped in boiling water and didn’t feel pain. (Bolding mine.) Which makes it kinda ironic (don’t shoot me) that he actually did turn out to be one of the relatively small percentage of people (~5%, IIRC?) actually susceptible to it. May I never get it. Cause I’d totally be using it for party tricks and to be the ultimate sideshow geek act. 😛